NYPD teamed up with K-Pop boy band Big Ocean Tuesday to surprise students at St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf to empower children living with impairments.
Big Ocean are K-Pop’s first hard-of-hearing act who have dedicated themselves to sharing their story of resilience while also spreading awareness on hearing impairments and breaking through barriers. After learning about the NYPD’s initiatives in working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and vice versa, both the boys in blue and the performers banded together to spread a message of hope.
“Here we practice American sign language, but [Big Ocean] gets to bring a different insight which is Korean Sign Language (KSL) and they incorporated International Sing Language (ISL) into their performance. I think it’s a great engagement piece with the students here, just letting them know that the deaf community can be involved in musicals, performances or dancing, and just arts and craft. They bring a spotlight to that,” NYPD Detective Angel Familia said. He also admired that Big Ocean utilizes vibrating watches and other metronome technology that enables the group to stay on rhythm.
Big Ocean’s members Hyunjin, Chanyeon, and Jiseok are hard-of-hearing musicians. At three years old Hyunjin lost his hearing after a severe fever. He underwent cochlear surgery and began to find solace in music. Chanyeon was 11 years old when he too suffered from a fever and lost his hearing. He underwent cochlear implant surgery and is now the group’s main rapper. Jiseok, the youngest member was born hard-of-hearing and became passionate about K-Pop music thanks to his love for dance.
Each of these young men have persevered through stereotypes and social stigmas that attempted to dictate their future. They were constantly told that they would only lead a life of limitation by society, but they were not discouraged from their dreams. They found a kinship between each other and music and spent about two years training to become K-Pop idols.
Big Ocean’s mission to spread awareness and give back to communities aligned with the NYPD’s efforts. Both groups worked together to meet the young children of St. Joseph’s School for the deaf to share with them that their future is just as bright as anyone else’s.
“We are so happy to see all of these kids who have the same type of disability we have, and I wanted them to see our performance and learn how to grow and pursue their dream, whatever they are dreaming now,” Jiseok said.
“We don’t feel like out hearing disability is a disability or a handicap that’s getting in the way of pursing our dream. It is a characteristic that differentiates us from other people,” Chanyeon added.
When Big Ocean strolled into the school’s cafeteria, the children’s jaws dropped many of them confused as to why a group of young South Korean men were visiting them. Immediately Big Ocean utilized ASL to introduce themselves, leaving many of the students wide-eyed with excited smiles on their faces.
The children pointed to a map, trailing their fingers over the Pacific Ocean to South Korea. It here that Big Ocean proceeded to teach them Korean words like, “Hello” and “Thank you” in ASL.
One little girl noticed Chanyeon had a similar hearing device to hers and jumped up with a bright smile on her face. Despite living an ocean apart, the students realized that these young talented men were just like them.
Members of the NYPD joined in the discussion, and Detective Familia worked with a translator (KSL to ASL) to allow the group to further express their story. It is a message Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster has dedicated with the NYPD reaffirming that there are opportunities out there for them, just like if they wanted to work within the department.
“We’ve been partnering with St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf for a number of years now and really connecting them with the local precincts,” Assistant Commissioner Foster said. “We have relationships with all of the deaf schools in New York City and we are just really letting them know the different opportunities and letting them know that they have a direct line to the police officers.”
The surprise visit turned into a full out performance—taking place in the school’s gymnasium—where the group sang and danced (using ASL, KSL and ISL) to their songs “Glow,” “Blow,” “Slow,” and “Flow.”
The children danced along, and even performed the sign language routine with Big Ocean, filling the gymnasium with laughter and joy. For Jiseok, the entire experience brought him back to his childhood. He is the only member who enrolled in a school for deaf children, and he said that he wished he had someone to look up to growing up.
“I didn’t have someone to look up to who was like me. I wished there could have been someone that could have been my role model. I’m hoping that we can have an impact on these kids, so they are inspired for the future. I hope they look at Big Ocean like we are a force of life that they can pursue dreams they never thought of before like becoming an idol or a police officer. I look forward to seeing their future,” Jiseok shared.
“Our music doesn’t just apply to the deaf community because everyone in life has their own obstacles and difficulties. Those struggling moments can be exhausting and lonely. I have been there and I want people who listen to our music to know that they should not give up. Just go, there is no later. The struggling moment will not last. Things will turn out great. It’s just a moment in your bigger story,” Hyunjin stressed.
While Big Ocean has been a representative of the deaf community, even their debut was on April 20, 2024, which is South Korea’s Day of People with Disabilities, they emphasize that they are just K-Pop artists who want to spread a good message to their listeners. Everyone has a struggle or difficulty they are trying to overcome, and Big Ocean wants the world to know that things will be alright, and you will beat it.
For Big Ocean, working with the NYPD was an opportunity of a lifetime and was something they never thought could be possible. Even in South Korea the NYPD has been known to be the largest police force with a steadfast motto to serve and protect. Big Ocean gushed stating that they were in awe upon seeing the police officers in person, and their mere presence made them feel protected. They were also impressed that the NYPD has dedicated themselves to bridging relationships with the community, especially with those with hearing impairments.
“It was extraordinary working with the police, even in South Korea this is not something we would have the opportunity to do,” Chanyeon said.
Commissioner Foster and Detective Familia applauded the group and invited them to continue their relationship with the NYPD with the hopes of one day hosting a concert for those with disabilities.
“It’s really important that we as the largest police department really connect with all communities and the disability community is sometimes a community that feels forgotten and it’s our job that we make sure we keep that relationship as tight as possible,” Commissioner Foster said.
Big Ocean released their first mini album, “Follow” on Nov. 11 and their message is clear: Follow your own dreams and happiness.
